A purchase at an urban Vietnamese fish market turned out to be a whole new species of giant isopod–with a bit of a dark side. The foot-long crustacean has been named Bathynomus vaderi and sports ...

The creature belongs to a genus of giant isopods found in abundance in deep-sea waters. Referred to by the researchers as a "supergiant," the largest of the specimens weighed more than 2.2 pounds ...

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Son holding a giant specimen of another species of giant isopod found in Vietnam (B. jamesi) that weighed 2.62 kg from a seafood market in Hanoi, October 2024.

A new isopod species has been discovered in a lab in Singapore, and it is massive, at least relative to other giant isopods. It's named after Darth Vader. The post New ‘Supergiant’ Isopod ...

Bathynomus isopods are divided into two size-based groups, researchers said. Giant species are 5.9 inches or shorter, while supergiants are anything greater than 6.7 inches long.

Like all giant isopods, of which there are around 20 species, B. Vaderi is a carnivore and prefers feeding on crustaceans, fish, squid, and even whale carcasses.

Researchers Identified a New ‘Supergiant’ Crustacean With 14 Legs—and They Named It After Darth Vader In recent years, the deep-sea giant isopod has also become a seafood delicacy in Vietnam ...

Bathynomus isopods are divided into two size-based groups, researchers said. Giant species are 5.9 inches or shorter, while supergiants are anything greater than 6.7 inches long.

Nguyen Thanh Son holding a giant specimen of another species of giant isopod found in Vietnam (Bathynomus jamesi) that weighed 2.62 kg [5.7 pounds] from a seafood market in Hanoi, October 2024.

Bathynomus isopods are divided into two size-based groups, researchers said. Giant species are 5.9 inches or shorter, while supergiants are anything greater than 6.7 inches long.

Bathynomus isopods are divided into two size-based groups, researchers said. Giant species are 5.9 inches or shorter, while supergiants are anything greater than 6.7 inches long.